Tuesday, December 29, 2009

We are pleased to present Tannen's Magic 27th "Louie Award" to Paul Harris an inventor, magician, and writer. Described by the magic magazine Genii as "the most innovative magic mind of our day," Harris is listed in Magic Magazine as one of "the 100 who shaped the art of magic in America".

Magic Magazine states that "the feats of astonishments that Paul creates and teaches are in the repertoires of a multitude of working pros".

He has invented many original tricks including: "Linking Playing Cards", "Bizarre Twist", "a Solid Deck", a torn and restored card effect, coins materializing from mirrors, a card that appears to turn ninety degrees when pushed into the pack, and a torn and restored quarter.

Amongst the magicians who are known to have presented Paul Harris creations are David Copperfield and Doug Henning. In the field of card and close-up magic, Paul Harris more or less re-innovated the genre during the 1970-80s, and is held in very high regard among magicians in the western world.

Doug Henning performed a routine called "Twilight" on his third TV special in 1977. An effect using a coin and a mirror where the mirror image of the coin becomes real. A surreal piece.

David Copperfield in a 1984 special (the one where he made the Statue of Liberty disappear) performed a linking card effect "The Immaculate Connection." In this routine, the magician tears holes in the center of three playing cards in order to create three "frames." The illusion consists in causing the frames to appear to link and unlink without damaging any of the cards. At the conclusion, the cards are sometimes passed for inspection; to all appearances no extra cards or gimmicks are employed.

Harris has performed at the Dunes Hotel and at other locations on the Las Vegas Strip and was a technical advisor for David Blaine's Magic Man and Street Magic TV shows. He also contributed writing to the 1987 film Nice Girls Don't Explode, which starred Starring Michelle Meyrink, William O'Leary, Wallace Shawn, James Nardini, and Margot Gray--with special appearances by Dana Betz and Keith Knauer.

In 2006, Paul received the "Creative Fellowship" honor from The Board of Trustees of the Academy of Magical Arts.

In late 2008 Paul put out the True Astonishment Box Set: 9-DVDs. True Astonishments is Paul Harris' current, definitive, and final legacy. This is a monumental project of the highest caliber from the production to the material... it's simple, elegant, practical, and beautiful. True Astonishments is one of the most important projects to be released in the last 30 years.

Currently Paul is developing products by other magicians, sometimes in coordination with Paul and marketed under the "Paul Harris Presents" product line.

On a phone call accepting the "Louie" from Thailand, Paul said "My Mom would be very proud".

Friday, December 18, 2009

Norman Ng (Pronounced "ing") has been performing his exciting and unique brand of magic throughout the US for over 17 years. He has performed for more than 500,000 from the New York Hilton Hotel, to the World Famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, as well as on hundreds of college campuses, fairs, festivals, theaters and corporate events nationwide.

Norman is known for bringing a fresh and dynamic energy to his shows. He views his show as a conversation with an audience rather than a performance for them. He involves the audience in ways no other performer does. He gets the audience to react in ways they never thought they could. He swings stuff, smashes stuff, and makes hundreds of people suspend their disbelief with every show.

Norman has also gained national recognition in the magic community. He has performed with and for some of the greatest magicians in the world. He has won numerous national and international magic awards such as the 1st place medal at the prestigious Tannen's Magic Camp. He was also voted to be a finalist in the Society of American Magicians Centennial Stage Competition held in New York City.

You can see Norman at the Phyzgig Physical Comedy Festival, Vaudeville Show at the Portland Performing Arts Center, Portland and Westbrook, ME from December 26 to 31, 2009. Click here for tickets.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Jared Molten the former Tannen's Magic Shop intern, magic camper and current counselor just released his highly anticipated magic promo video. The video highlights Jared's unique performing style and various show types.

Jared has been incredibly successful in pursuing his magical career while attending Northeastern University in Boston. His magic has been showcased at corporate functions, events, and venues all over the Northeast. Jared currently performs magic every Sunday night at Johnny's Luncheonette in Newton, Mass.

Jared is scheduled to graduate in May and will be returning to the Metropolitan New York City area to continue his journey as a professional magician.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Forty years ago, learning magic was different. Black and white pictures of old men stared at you from the pages of bad reprints of classic books. And then Paul Harris started creating magic - and magic changed forever.

Cards stopped being just cards and became objects with personalities of their own. They linked, danced, and twisted themselves into the impossible. Paul introduced exciting plots and unconventional methods that inspired a generation of magicians.

This February discover the magic that gave birth to astonishment. Paul Harris and Wayne Houchin explore the revolutionary thinking that is the foundation of one of the most popular magic book series of all time. The Art of Astonishment is coming to DVD.

While the art of magic has persisted and evolved over thousands of years, the vast majority of us today have one thing in common and one company to thank - the United States Playing Card Company.

It started in Cincinnati one-hundred and twenty-five years ago and quickly grew to become the worldwide leader in playing card design and manufacturing. Since then - hundreds of designs and over a billion decks later - it is still here and still in a league of its own.

Commemorating 125 years of design and development, the Bicycle 125 : Anniversary Edition playing cards feature a distinctive, vintage aesthetic - and a signature metallic foil on the special edition tuck case. Theory11 presents a collaboration that can officially come to light - the Bicycle 125's.